A Tale of Vagrants
by A Simple Vagrant
Summary: This a series of stories I wrote for my friend when she was sad and asked me to tell her a story. The stories are all pretty short...but I think they're good anyway...
1. The Lonely Knight

**The Lonely Knight**

**Once there was a Knight in the service of a greedy king. The king was an evil tyrant who kept all the young women in his castle for his own…personal matters. One day the king sent out the Knight on a mission to bring him another woman. The Knight wanted to refuse, but he was honorable and decided to follow his Knightly vows.**

**The Knight went to his room to prepare for his upcoming journey. He looked around his house, remembering his wife and baby, who had died in a war the king had started, but he bore the king no ill will. He slept in silence thinking about his journey. The next day he started the quest with the kings words in mind. "Find me a queen at all costs. You are a young and handsome man, it shan't be hard." He set off without a single goodbye. All of his friends had died in the foolish war the king started. But he bore the king no ill will.**

**The Knight started his lonely journey by looking around the local villages. He searched and searched, but he couldn't find any young women. All the men he asked ignored him. The women glared, and walked away, and some would burst into tears. This confused the Knight because he had no idea that the king had taken all the young women. One day, the Lonely Knight asked a pub master where all the young women had gone. The pub master looked at him oddly, and said, "The king has taken all the women for himself." ****  
**

**The Knight looked at the pub master in disbelief. The greedy king couldn't have taken all the women, the Lonely Knight thought. He checked the next village, and once again all the young women were gone. He checked village after village, and they were all the same, every young woman taken by the greedy king. The Knight couldn't believe the king had done this. But he still bore the king no ill will. ****  
**

**The Knight decided to go to a different kingdom to find a young woman. He went to a neighboring kingdom, but all the villagers there had heard of the greedy king, and refused to let their friends and daughters go, the Lonely Knight wandered around the new kingdom disappointed. He had failed the king, and thus broken his knightly vows. He wandered far away from his king and the place he had so many fond memories, and found himself in another village. This time he did not look for any women, he just sat****in an alley, crying and sleeping. Living off the food the villagers would throw away, he survived. One day, a young woman sat next to him. "Why are you here?" She asked. The Lonely Knight looked at her with his lonely eyes, and told her his story. The young woman listened intently to him. The Lonely Knight was happy to have someone who would listen to him, and talk to him as well. The young woman would bring him food, and they would talk for hours. ****  
**

**One day, the Lonely Knight told the young woman he had no wish to go to his lonely home, in his lonely village, serving the greedy king. "Then I will go with you." The young woman said, smiling a smile the warmed the Lonely Knights heart. "Everyone should have a home to go to, with someone the care about in it." She said. The Lonely Knight had never thought of it like that. He stood up, and offered the young woman a hand. She took it and stood up, and together they went to the young woman's house to ****get the Knight cleaned up. Her neighbors came over while she was making dinner, and asked what the Lonely Knight he was doing. He told them of how he would take the young woman to live with him. They neighbors smiled widely, and hugged him, crying with joy. When the Lonely Knight asked why, they told him of how the young woman's parents had died when she was young, and she had never had any friends. The Lonely Knight had never known this, when the young woman came out of the kitchen, he just looked at her. ****She looked back at him, and smiled warmly. **

**_How can she be so happy?_**** The Knight asked himself. They ate together with the neighbors, and slept together peacefully.**

**In the morning, as they prepared to go back to the Knights home, he asked her how she could so happy all the time. "Because I can talk with someone like you." She said. The Lonely Knight was filled with happiness for the first time in a long time, and looked happily at the young womnn. They started walking together, and talked all the way.****When they arrived at the Knight's house, they found the greedy king waiting. "Ah, you have found a lovely young lady for me." He said. The Knight looked at him curiously. He had completely forgotten about the mission the king had given him.**

**He told the king he could not have the young woman, that she wished to stay with him, and the king grew furious. He struck out at the Knight in anger, and missed. He stumbled, and fell towards a window. The Knight and the woman tried to save the king, but couldn't and he fell from the window. The Knight and the woman rushed out to see if the king was alright. He was not; he had died from the fall. He was not young anymore, and the shock had killed him. People rushed to see what had happened, and when they saw the greedy king was dead, began cheering. They rushed to the Knight and thanked him for ridding them of the evil king. They rushed to the castle, and set free all the young women. Over time a new king was chosen; a good king. ****The Knight helped rebuild the kingdom, with help of all the villagers, and the young woman. After it was complete, the Knight and the young woman decided to be married. One day, the new king showed up at the Knight's house, and asked if he would like to serve the new king. The Knight refused politely, deciding to live peacefully with his new wife.**

**Many years passed, and the Knight and his wife had grown old. They never had any children, but they were happy just being together. One day, the woman collapsed and had to stay in bed. She was sick and would soon die. She had been in pain for a long time, but refused to show it, because then the Knight would worry. Soon the bed she was confined too was to become her deathbed. The Knight stayed with her for the entire time, never once leaving her side. Just a few minutes before she died, the Knight kissed her forehead and whispered something in her ear that no one else in the room could hear. She used the last of her strength to smile at the Knight, and she passed peacefully, and happily. The last thing she heard was the Knight's voice saying "I love you."**

**The Knight died not long after, of a broken heart, and was buried with his beloved wife in the royal cemetery of the kingdom he had served so long.**


	2. The Blacksmith

Once up on a time in a faraway kingdom there was a young man who lived a very lonely life, as a blacksmith for the king

The Blacksmith

Once up on a time in a faraway kingdom there was a young man who lived a very lonely life, as a blacksmith for the king. He was the best blacksmith in all the land, and people from all over came to him to fix there tools, have him make them new weapons, or maybe even make a toy for their child, though that didn't happen often. Although he was always surrounded people he was always lonely. He had never had a real friend, only passing acquaintances.

He had everything people thought they needed to be happy. He was famous, rich, attractive, and had the favor of the king. But he wasn't happy. What he really wanted was a friend. Any type of friend would do. He had figured out that all the fame and riches in the world meant nothing, if you didn't have anyone to share it all with. He spent his days fixing up tools people used wrong, and he would always tell them how to use them properly, but they never listened, and he'd just see them again later.

One day, a man walked in, wrapped in a blanket. The blacksmith asked him what he needed fixing but the man just shook his head and looked around.

He ignored the man and kept working, but he couldn't help but wonder what the other man was doing...He thought and thought as he worked, but he couldn't figure it out. He looked up and saw the man still looking around. He asked the man if he could help him in some way, but he just shrugged and didn't look at the blacksmith.

The blacksmith was getting confused. Why didn't this man talk? Why didn't he look at the blacksmith? He thought about these questions while he worked. After a few hours, the sun was almost completely set, and the man looked out a window. He waved goodbye to the blacksmith, and walked out slowly. The blacksmith waved back confused. He put away his projects for the night, and went to bed alone, except for his thoughts.

He woke up early the next morning, and continued his work. The man who had come in the day before walked in and began looking around again. The blacksmith ignored him, and continued his work. People came in, giving the blacksmith more tools that needed fixing and asked what the searching man was doing. The blacksmith said he didn't know, and the people all nodded. They had seen him around town, wandering around, looking at people, as if searching for someone.

They left about midday, leaving the blacksmith and the searching man alone. After several hours of work, the blacksmith looked up and saw the other man looking at a picture. The black smith walked over and looked at it too. It was a picture of a woman with a small child in her arms. The man asked who they were, and blacksmith looked at him oddly. It was the first time he had heard the man speak. He sounded about the same age as the blacksmith, but his voice was filled with loneliness.

The blacksmith explained that it was his sister and nephew. It was the only picture he had left of his family. The other man nodded as if he understood. The blacksmith once again asked if there was anything he could do to help the man, but he once again shook his head. The black smith nodded, and went back to his work. Night came, and once again, the other man left quietly. The blacksmith went to bed with more thoughts floating around his head.

Morning came and the blacksmith went into his shop, too find the other man lying on a bench, sleeping. The blacksmith shook him and he woke up. He asked why the man had slept here last night. The other man replied that he had nowhere else to go, and this was the closest he had come to finding what he was looking for. When the blacksmith asked what he was looking for, the man smiled. He explained that he was almost completely blind and he was looking for the one thing everyone needed.

The blacksmith looked at him confused. The other man said he was looking for a friend, and the blacksmith just stared. He had found someone like him. The man explained that he had been looking for nothing but a friend all his life, and no one ever accepted him before, but the blacksmith had. A single tear rolled down the blacksmith's face. They both smiled. The other man asked the blacksmith for one simple request.

"Will you be my friend?" The other man asked. The blacksmith couldn't say anything, but nodded, eventually being able to muster a simple yes. He had finally found a friend. The one thing he needed. Someone to share his life with.


	3. The Honorable Thief

Once upon a time there was an honorable thief

The Honorable Thief

Once upon a time there was an honorable Thief. He only stole from people who didn't need all of there belongings, and needed to be taught a lesson. The police never really pursued him, though they pretended they did. Everyone knew exactly who he was, and often thanked him when they saw him on the street. He was sometimes referred to as "The Thief of God." He never liked it, or any of the titles he was given.

He didn't actually like himself at all. He thought thieving was wrong, but he did it anyway, because it was all he could do to keep himself alive. He didn't handle authority well, and had a hard time focusing on any one thing for too long, so a normal job was out of the question. One day while he was walking the streets he saw someone new in town. It was a knight from the neighboring kingdom. He walked over to the man and asked what he was doing. The knight just shook his head sadly.

The Thief sat down next to him, and looked up at the sky. The Thief asked if the knight had anywhere to go, and the knight simply shook head, and said he did once, but not any more. The Thief looked at him. He was similar to a blacksmith he came across every so often on his walks. No one to go home too, no reason to live. He'd seen people like this before. He wanted to help the knight, but he didn't know how. Then it hit him. He stood up, and smiled down at the knight.

He talked to the woman next door, and told her about the knight. She looked sad at the story, and decided to go see the knight the next morning. The Thief was curious about the knight's condition after a few days, so he went to check up on him. He seemed a little happier, and told the Thief some of his story. He was recruited by his king to find a woman, and failed.

He couldn't return now that he had failed his knightly duties, so he came to this town, and just ended up where he was now. Then he met the woman who lived next to the Thief, and he found some hope of living. He didn't know how she had done it, but she had given him a reason to live his life again. The Thief smiled, glad he had helped. Then the knight asked the Thief what he did for a living. The Thief looked at him for a minute, deciding whether or not to tell the knight.

He decided to tell the knight he was the "Thief of God." The knight just smiled, and asked why he stole. The Thief couldn't help but laugh. He had never seen it before, but he could d whatever he wanted to do. The knight helped him to realize this, and Thief happily did his job that night. The next morning, the woman next door came to the door and told the Thief she was going to live with the knight. The Thief smiled and hugged her, and told her he wished her luck with her new life.

She asked if they would ever see each other again, and he shrugged. "I'll see if I'm ever in the neighborhood." He said, and she smiled. She hugged him again, and ran off to see the knight. They left soon after, and the Thief saw them off in hiding. He periodically checked up on them occasionally to make sure they were happy. He was glad they had both met the knight. The woman had found a husband, and the Thief had found the meaning of his job.


End file.
